Jim Bridenstine, an administrator at NASA and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said the agency is working to validate potential costs for the Artemis crewed lunar exploration mission, Space News reported Wednesday.
Bridenstine noted that the mission will cost between $20B to $30B and expenses may reach below the said range depending on the amount of contributions from commercial firms. In addition, Bridenstine said ongoing programs including the Space Launch System and Orion launch missions may affect the estimation of costs for the Artemis mission.
“We are working within the administration to come up with what the trades are, so we can get an accurate budget presented for 2021,†Bridenstine added.
The Artemis mission seeks to enable engineers and scientists to study the Moon’s surface and develop approaches to help humans conduct deep space travel.